Fenerbahce Ulker rallies past Besiktas

Fenerbahce Ulker won the first ever Euroleague meeting against its Istanbul rival Besiktas JK 78-72 on Friday at Fenerbahce Ulker Sports Arena. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 25 points to pace Fener in an exciting game that featured five lead changes in the last four minutes of the game. Bogdanovic attacked the rim to put the hosts ahead for good, 71-70, with two minutes to go. Ogus Savas scored the next two baskets, while Besiktas committed two crucial turnovers that let the game slip away. Besiktas led by as much as 13 points in the second quarter and 10 in the third. David Andersen added 13 points and 7 rebounds for the winners, who improved to 2-5 in Top 16 group F. Savas scored 12 and Bo McCalebb had 10 points and 4 steals for the winners. Damir Markota paced Besiktas with 15 points, Curtis Jerrells netted 14 plus 7 rebounds, Daniel Ewing scored 11 and Gasper Vidmar tallied 10 points and 4 blocks. The loss left Besiktas winless in the Top 16.

First quarter: Bogdanovic catches fire early

The game got out to a fast paced start with Bogdanovic showing off his scoring skills. Jerrells put the visitors up 2-5, but Bogdanovic added a triple before Oguz Savas completed a 7-0 Fener spurt. Dan Ewing connected from downtown to keep Besiktas close, 9-8. A Savas tip in made it 11-8 at the TV timeout. Bogdanovic extended the lead to 5 before Besiktas big men Vidmar and Cevher Ozer carried Besiktas back. A pair of free throws gave Bogdanovic 11 points in just over seven minutes of action. Jerrells second three tied the game at 15-15. McCalebb put the hosts on top with free throws and Bogdanovic finished a high-scoring quarter from a personal standpoint with a fast break layup to make it 19-15.

Second quarter: Christopher and Markota lead Besiktas charge

Patrick Christopher showed off his skills with a baseline jumper to tie the game and a fade-away that lifted Besiktas ahead 19-21. Tutku Acik fed Christopher for a layup that made it 7 straight points for the shooting guard in a 0-9 start to the quarter. Mike Batiste ended a five-minute Fenerbahce scoring drought, but Markota answered with a triple to make it 21-27. Markota remained hot with free throws and a second triple, though the hosts stayed pace through Ilkan Karaman and McCalebb. After Markota reached 11 points with 2 more free throws, Vidmar scored on consecutive possessions to give the visitors the game’s first double-digit lead. Vidmar kept his team strong with a block that led to an Acik layup and a 28-41 advantage. Kaya Peker scored down low for Fener and Bogdanovic added a fade-away jumper to get within 32-42 at the break.

Third quarter: Andersen helps Fener cut into deficit

McCalebb opened the third quarter with a steal, spin move and layup. Strong defense on both ends kept the scoring low, but Andersen’s tip in brought his team within 36-44. A Vidmar slam restored Besiktas’s double-digit lead. Andersen scored outside and inside to trim the gap to 6. McCalebb’s next steal and layup made it 42-46, but Ewing countered with a pair of triples and before long the lead stood again at 10. Fener showed signs of a comeback with a long two-pointer from Besiktas and 2 Bogdanovic free throws. Jerrells kept the visitors comfortable ahead with a triple. Andersen made it 48-55 through three quarters.

Fourth quarter:Ermis, Preldzic step up as hosts rally

Baris Ermis closed the gap to 5 before Ozer connected from downtown to keep Besiktas safe. But the hosts found their form as Andersen drilled a triple and Savas scored in transition to make it 55-58. A Bogdanovic triple made it a 2-point game and resulted in a Besiktas timeout. Ozer buried a triple and Jerrells did the same to pump the cushion to 60-66. Emir Preldzic’s passing helped Fenerbahce get some easy points. Ozer was helped off the floor after suffering a tough landing. Ermis nailed a triple to cut the deficit to 1 and then found a cutting Savas for his team’s first lead of the second half. The lead changed hands as Ewing and Ermis traded baskets. Jerrells found Markota for a slam; Bogdanovic went through the Besiktas defense to make it 71-70. Ermis dished to a wide-open Savas for a 3-point lead with a minute to go. Savas then hit a long baseline jumper with 31 seconds left for a 75-70 lead as the delirious fans started to sing. A travelling call on Markota with 13 seconds left doomed Besiktas as Bogdanovic iced the game from the line.

Head Coaches

PIANIGIANI, SIMONE

Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul

"Tonight we didn’t play with 100% performance, but anyway this is a great win. It was not an easy task after winning the Turkish Cup last week. Besiktas did everything they could during the game. The rhythm of the game was different than usual. They were in better form than us. They had a different rotation. We didn’t start the game bad, but lost the rhythm in the second quarter. Then we showed our real face in the last quarter. We have young talents like Ilkan Karaman. But we are expecting those young guys to perform at 100% when having minutes during the game."

KUNTER, ERMAN

Besiktas JK Istanbul

"We lost the game to Fenerbahce Ulker with our own mistakes. We made critical mistakes in crunch time. We lost our third game in the same way. We lose the discipline when we made turnovers. We were the better side especially in defense for most of the game. But when the mistakes started to happen in the last quarter, we lost control. Honestly, we lost a game which we deserved to win. Now our chances are up to a miracle. We will keep on fighting until we lose."

Players

SAVAS, OGUZ

Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul

"We started the game well, but failed in defense in the second quarter. They had a good margin at halftime. We found ourselves in defense in the third quarter and stopped them, but our offense was not working. We opened the game in the last quarter and pushed the game really hard to come back. Our pressure had the answer with their turnovers. It’s good to hang on in the group. Sorry for Besiktas."

ERMIS, BARIS

Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul

"After the Turkish Cup, this was a very important game. Besiktas played much better than us in the first two quarters. We played to win. Winning was very important for us. We played good, especially in the fourth quarter. We fought as a team. That’s how we won the Turkish Cup. We are very happy about this win."

EWING, DANIEL

Besiktas JK Istanbul

"I’m really sad about losing a game which we could have won. We controlled most of the game and made some small and easy mistakes to lose at the end. We had to calm down, but instead we turned the ball over many times. We will keep on digging for wins."